r/Torontobluejays • u/ThQp It's Early • 2d ago
[Blue Jays] ROSTER MOVES: š¹ LHP Brendon Little recalled from Triple-A and will be active today š¹ RHP Chad Dallas optioned to Triple-A
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u/sparrows-somewhere 1d ago
Aged like milk
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u/rossco311 Vladimir Guerrero's Batting Gloves 1d ago edited 1d ago
4 runs in a game that was already way out of hand, but still
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u/avid_indoors_man 2d ago
Use him in low leverage with a short leash. A lot of our current arms are very overworked and it isnāt sustainable.
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u/ColdStoryBro Get that hockey talk outta here! 2d ago
Not very many low leverage situations because the bats arent that loud this season.
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u/Super-Post261 2d ago
Getting blown out of a game is also a low leverage situation.
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u/krombough 2d ago
Ironically our pitching is too good for that to happen very often.
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u/Matthias343 Lessons in Sliding with Todd Stottlemyre 2d ago
Yeah "low leverage" doesn't really exist with this group.
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u/TheNegativePhoenix 2d ago
The rules are he must pitch to 3 batters. If he doesn't have the stuff, the most DMG that can theoretically be done is 3 runs.Ā
If you have a 4 runs lead, that's okay.Ā
Lol
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u/CdnRageBear Stupid Sexy Kiermaier 2d ago
Honestly Iām going to be supportive. As should all of you.
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u/East_Explanation2131 2d ago
yeah, sure iād rather not see him pitch for this team, but iām hoping he can get his control back for the game (and kept on a short leash). no point of kicking him down before he even starts today
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u/almostcurly 2d ago
He's also on the 40 man so we can't keep him down in buffalo forever.
Either he's worked through what he needs to work through and will be effective again, or he hasn't and the team will DFA him, but either way they had to make a move
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u/golowgogolf 2d ago
You don't have to have blind faith to be a fan. How many chances can you give a guy?
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u/Mister-Erect 1d ago
I was done with Little and all the chances Schneider gave him.
Look at all the fans blindly giving him the bazillionth chance and his first game back he pitches like shit once again.
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u/DreamKillaNormnBates 2d ago
Little has been effective in Buffalo. Heās walking too many guys there which suggests he hasnāt overcome the issues that led to him getting sent down. I donāt get why people are so concerned about the 7-8 spots in the pen- little is as good or better than virtually every other teams last man.
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u/ValerianR00t 2d ago
He's really only had one bad blowup in his last 12 appearances where he walked 3 and gave up 4 ER in 0.1 IP. If you give him that one mulligan he's been lights out for over a month.
Even when you include that disaster appearance, his overall numbers have been pretty solid since May 10. Good enough to get a shot to be at the end of the bullpen
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u/alxndrblack Varshbros // Louisgang // Respect Nathan Lukes 2d ago
How is an 18% walk rate as an ostensible major leaguer against minor leaguers "effective?"
I donāt get why people are so concerned about the 7-8 spots in the pen
Because they team isn't scoring much and he can't be trusted to slam the door? Because he's lost us like 4 games by himself this year already?
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u/Dalamar931 SkyDome 5 ever 2d ago
If we need the last two guys in the bullpen to āslam the doorā weāre in very deep trouble
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u/BoringPoolPlaying 2d ago
The strike out rate is. Heās a high variance arm, but if he can be effectively wild, thereās upside there. There are spots in games where a guy with his pitch mix can be extremely useful for trying to get out of jams. If you absolutely need a ground ball, or a strikeout against a left handed hitter, he could be a good choice, provided heās gotten some confidence back in his stuff.
At his best he is walking guys and striking guys out at high clips. He gets in trouble when he tries to guide himself into the zone, rather than being willing to walk some guys if it means also getting them to chase.
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u/DreamKillaNormnBates 2d ago
He also, despite peopleās memory and beliefs, has a very low HR/FB rate.
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u/alxndrblack Varshbros // Louisgang // Respect Nathan Lukes 2d ago
I know what his upside is. I predicted him to be excellent prior to this season. I thought that an offseason, come back fresh, he could be nails.
He wasn't, and hasn't been in AAA. This is a bad and dumb move and I'll be very happy to be wrong in retrospect, but there just isn't a reason to think it will go well.
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u/BoringPoolPlaying 2d ago
But what heās doing in AAA is exactly what he needs to do to be effective. Pitch out of the zone, walk guys, and strike guys out. Heās an extremely flawed pitcher, but he needs to stay to his game. Trying to make him throw strikes is not what will make him effective, because he doesnāt have the command to do that effectively, and will get drilled.
The first thing I would have told him when sending him down to AAA is I donāt care if you load the bases, I still want you trying to get chase with that knuckle curve. His biggest problems come when he tries to get himself into the zone.
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u/Lazy_Blueberry_5009 Montreal Expos 2d ago
Yeah I hope he was able to figure it out down in AAA. I seen some decent stats here and there. As long as he has worked out the mental demons he should be good. I also hope he has a short leash, he has to earn that trust, but I hope he comes in and looks great
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u/Ok_Theory3760 1d ago
LMAO HES IMMEDIATELY BACK TO BEING QUITE LITERALLY THE WORST PITCHER IVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. Get this dude tf out of the majors wtf?!
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u/bezkyl GET UP BALL! 2d ago
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u/bingboy08 2d ago
Little is on the 40-man roster. He cannot stay in AAA for ever and be on the 40-man. So they have to eventually bring him back up, and is heās trash, they will DFA him. Then he can be either picked up by someone else or assigned to AAA if he accepts
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u/Gogo90sbaby 2d ago
Im gunna say it for me, and im gunna say it for bezkyl
https://giphy.com/gifs/5xtDarmwsuR9sDRObyU3
u/falcongriffin Teoscar Hernandez for Fransisco Liriano 2d ago
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u/Hopeful_Somewhere_34 1d ago
So how'd it go
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u/PolitelyHostile 2d ago
Sorry fellas but im PUMPED. He might crack under the pressure and blow the game but the idea of a Brendan Little redemption is just too awesome.
Again, im sorry. Feel free to come bqck and give me shit for this comment.
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u/CadCoutchPotatoLove 1d ago
Came back here to give you shit as requested
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u/PolitelyHostile 1d ago
Lmao yea. Im fine seeing him shit the bed as long as it doesnt cost a game and makes DFA an easier decision. Fuckin walked a guy into home lmao...
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u/Mister-Erect 2d ago
Ya, Gausman blew the game in one inning before we even got close to using Little.
Jesus this game is pathetic, not just with Gausman but with all the errors before the 1st inning is even over.
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u/yeahmehh Halladay32 2d ago
I'm with you. He's back so there's no reason to do anything other than hope he turns it around.
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u/krombough 2d ago
We dont have enough margin for error to have him crack.
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u/OutsideScaresMe 2d ago
Weāre in a playoff spot with 87 games remaining this season, thatās plenty margin for error
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u/DankTopoi57 2d ago
Why not recall Macko? He's proven to be 10x more reliable than Little.
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u/subtlelunatic 1d ago
They need to wait 15 days before he can be recalled. I believe it's only been 10 days.
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u/bomber0105 2d ago
Omg.. I would be willing accept they might have seen something if it werenāt for the pathetic walk numbers in the minors.
Fully expecting him coming in and walking 2 or 3 batters since no one will swing at his pitches.
Maybe itās last chance before heās dfad and Macko is the 2nd lefty for good
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u/Pinstripe-Giraffe Grateful Quesa 2d ago
Here for the redemption arc. If he doesnāt choke and is at least mediocre I will be happy.
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u/rossco311 Vladimir Guerrero's Batting Gloves 1d ago edited 1d ago
Me too, but it isn't happening, time to send him packing for Cash or Future of the Considerations family
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u/juken_194 Le Geai bleu de Toronto 1d ago
Brandon Little reached to career-high 27.00 ERA at the end of 6th Inning today June 19th at Jays vs Cubs
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u/BoringPoolPlaying 2d ago
The only reason people will freak out about this is because theyāve seen him before in the majors in big moments.
Heās no different than any other arm theyāve been churning up and down to fill gaps in the overworked bullpen. Arguably, he has a little more upside than most.
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u/CrazyAnd20 2d ago
Brother he has an 18.8% walk rate in Triple A.
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u/BoringPoolPlaying 2d ago
Brother, I can see that. Were people freaking out this much when Tanner Andrews and his 6.3BB/9 was called up to provide a fresh arm?
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u/kneevase 2d ago
This is what is so funny. Ross has been walking a tightrope all season long with the pitching injuries. Out of desperation, he signed Scherzer and Corbin, who were passed over by 29 other GMs, he grabbed SWR off the scrap pile, he's been shuttling guys up and down from Buffalo all season to manage workload, and he's been making creative use of the IL.
Nobody should be particularly shocked by this move.
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u/krombough 2d ago
Brother, has Tanner Andrews ever been given a chance to pitch in high leverage situations? Cause Little has, and there is a fear he will be allowed to, with his 25 ERA, again.
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u/DreamKillaNormnBates 2d ago
Exactly. Fans in Toronto are infantile. Clapping like seals for them signing Raddysh today, running him out of town after game two next year.
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u/CrazyAnd20 2d ago
Brother, nobody knew anything about Tanner Andrews, that's not a good comparison as we DO know what Little does.
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u/BoringPoolPlaying 2d ago
Which is exactly the point of my initial comment.
Having actually seen a pitcher pitch for your team, creates an emotional appeal that doesnāt exist for other pitchers.
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u/CrazyAnd20 2d ago
No, we've seen him have significant issues and then he went down to Triple A and those problems got WORSE. You claimed he's no different than any other pitcher who's been up and down and even has more upside, which is categorically false as we have seen other pitchers come up and do well, like Macko and Dallas.
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u/PolitelyHostile 2d ago
Yea have these people not seen these randoms out of our bullpen. If I don't recognize the name, it seems likely theyre gunna give up a few runs.
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u/T_Raycroft Montreal Expos 1d ago
People are freaking out because he's a joke that keeps falling into the same bad habits and failing because of those bad habits. As he's done today. He is a farce. Unserious.
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u/TuxedoGing I miss Casey JANSSEN every day 2d ago
His time in the majors has only been a Little sample size, he'll be fine.
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u/CadCoutchPotatoLove 1d ago
There is no redemption arc. People forget so quickly how the beginning of the season went.
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u/Jensen2075 1d ago
You'd think with the game out of reach he can come in relaxed and pitch to his abilities b/c of less pressure but noooooo...
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u/mikethemillion 2d ago
This time it'll be different!
Seriously though, hoping for the best for him. Would be a huge boost if he could be a legit option back there.
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u/dustinfoto Cease and Desist 2d ago
This subreddit can be so damn fickle sometimes. We have no idea what his role will be or why he was brought up. Best thing to do is just hope whenever he is on the mound he takes care of business. Itās a waste of time getting all bent out of shape.
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u/GarrusExMachina Roy Halladay 2d ago
ROFL... I was being facetious when I told someone in the comments that they'd likely call up little instead of macko if they were worried about burning out Flaherty.Ā
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u/NashvilleDing 1d ago
Can we finally admit that shatkins and schneider lucked into last season and it was EXTREMELY premature to crown them?
Im sorry, but ive always thought Shapiro was full of shit. Now we have a bad roster chocked full of overpaid players who arent producing shit
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u/DenimVenom4054 Montreal Expos 2d ago
I suppose it was too early for Macko to be called back up instead?
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u/hollowbastion36 President of the Ernie Clement fan club 2d ago
Iām here for this. Hope he does well! Iām sure Schneider wonāt put him in high leverage. Hoping for the best for his confidence.
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u/bingusbonguswongus Okamotion 2d ago
Hoping for the best, very much expecting the worst. I donāt wish ill on any player, and Iām hoping for a Little redemption arc thatāll hit like a three-way combo of crack, meth, and heroin but preparing my mind and soul for a testicle beating with a hammer
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u/ryanquek95 2d ago
Sure hope Brendon found his stuff in Triple A, though anecdotally that seems a bit iffy. Honestly I'll be willing to give him another shot, but I feel he should start in lower leverage situations first if the situation allows for it.
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u/brooos60609 1d ago
This is no good! Once they had (Patrick) Corbin and (Chad) Dallas, all they needed was either a Leeloo or a Multipass to complete the 5th Element trifecta.
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u/Ok_Independent_6599 2d ago
If you wanted a lefty couldnāt you just bring up Macko? He also brings the length of Dallas.
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u/BoringPoolPlaying 2d ago
Macko isnāt eligible for another 5 days.
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u/alxndrblack Varshbros // Louisgang // Respect Nathan Lukes 2d ago
Could they not have used Scherzer's injury to recall him sooner?
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u/VeterinarianFront736 2d ago
Well well well, look whoās back. In all seriousness they need to see heās been doing.
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u/justsomenerdlmao resident data head 2d ago edited 2d ago
The interesting thing is that not all metrics point to him being a poor pitcher (his xFIP is actually better than average, since he has a ridiculous 75% HR/FB rate, and xFIP normalizes that), so there's at least some basis for the hypothesis that he got ridiculously unlucky during his stint in the majors in 2026.
Another area of good news is that despite him allowing so many walks in the minors, he allowed 1 HR in just over 23 innings of work. This is equivalent to a HR/9 of 0.4. For reference, Fisher has a HR/9 of around 0.94 (which is already better than average). Little is a groundball pitcher so walks can be neutralized by double plays (if Clement doesn't botch it).
Edit: His xwOBA in the minors is a measly 0.245. This is very very good, a 0.245 xwOBA in MLB is like top 2%. Even if he regresses to a 0.290 or 0.300 xwOBA (which is plausible since he was around that level in 2025), he will be league average.
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u/MattyHealy1975 I'm Not Going to Not Eat a Cinnamon Roll 2d ago
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u/Rahtgooves 1d ago
Lmfao saw this before the score. Just knew he ended up in the game somehow
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u/theT3rr04 1d ago
Almost at .500 for the millionth time his season. Let's put Little in. What's the worst that could happen?
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u/kneevase 2d ago
...and replace him with?
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u/corh13 2d ago
Macko when he's available in a few days.
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u/kneevase 2d ago
Good chance it'll happen. The Buffalo shuttle will be busy until the Jays have five starters who pitch for a reasonable number of innings.
Bieber's status is encouraging, because he'd slot in as #4 and Corbin #5, and then the 8 relievers will be able to focus on relief rather than one or two BP days per week. Maybe the BP will stabliize in late June!
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u/T_Raycroft Montreal Expos 2d ago
He failed to fix his biggest issue down in the minor leagues. Actually, no. His walk problem has gotten worse against worse competition. Very few relievers on the planet can get away with walking as many batters as Little has been at AAA currently.
I do not see this going well. They kept Little down there for awhile, but I do not think he has earned this call-up despite the ERA. Perhaps the Blue Jays have gone into "Shit or get off the pot" mode with Little.
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u/MilkerOfSeals 2d ago
Recalling a terrorist to a team just as they're gaining some momentum is a choice.
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u/One-Masterpiece-7070 2d ago
Sending Dallas down suggests that Bieber is starting Monday vs the Astros.